Source: Paras Griffin / Getty LHHATL Cast Talks Karlie Redd’s Love Life Karlie Redd has had a long, and we mean LONG, list of ex-boyfriends, baes, boos, and whatever else you wanna call them. The common denominator is that none of them stuck and every relationship ended before Karlie could say “I do”. The cast of Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta gathered to discuss whether Karlie’s new man will be “The one”. How embarrassing that no one thinks you can keep a man or find love.
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty T.I., Scrapp De Leon Help Raise Money To Release Prisoners A little positivity! Over 20 people were angle bonded out of jail this weekend with the help of T.I. and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. According to 11alive , those bailed out were first-time nonviolent offenders in DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties. The church said the kind gesture started as a $40,000 local challenge within the New Birth congregation quickly grew into a $120,000 regional movement. Eventually T.I. and Scrapp DeLeon from VH1’s Love and Hip Hop partnered with a local church, helping them exceed their goal. Reportedly, the Bail Out program will continue to assist the development and reform of the beneficiaries, with each scheduled to attend a meeting every week. Some of the money raised has also been put aside to help their children attend college. T.I. was jailed twice in Atlanta: on a federal weapons charge and for violating probation. Scrapp DeLeon was recently released from jail after two years for allegedly trafficking marijuana. Good for them!
Source: Gregg Newton Disney Dreamers Academy 2019 Recap We had the pleasure of covering (and genuinely enjoying) the 2019 Disney Dreamers Academy (with excited partners Steve Harvey & ESSENCE Magazine) that brought together 100 extraordinary young people from across the nation for an immersive, transformational, all-expenses-paid experience at the most magical place on Earth: Walt Disney World. Yes, you read that right: ALL-EXPENSES-PAID Disney World experience where handpicked students (“Dreamers”) are treated like VIPs at all four parks (Magical Kingdom, Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom), fed like kings and queens (the food is AMAZING) and housed at the luxurious resort in sunny Orlando. Source: Todd Anderson But wait, of course there’s more: Dreamers are welcomed by Mickey himself before serving as honorary grand marshals in the iconic Magic Kingdom parade. And this is only Day 1 of 4. By the second day, they’re eased into the program that offers career-oriented workshops, mentoring by high-level professionals, networking and dress-for-success sessions, celebrity panels and much, MUCH more. Source: Gregg Newton This year, Chloe & Halle (“Grown-ish”), Trevor Jackson (“Superfly”), Marcus Scribner (“Black-ish”), Ruth E. Carter (Academy Award-winning costume designer for “Black Panther”), Miles Brown (“Black-ish”), and JD McCrary (voice of young Simba in Disney’s “The Lion King” opening July 19) offered helpful millennial-to-millennial advice with a smile. Source: Harrison Cooney Past celeb guests include Soul icon Patti LaBelle and Ne-Yo, NBA legend and business mogul Magic Johnson, NFL star Cam Newton, Gospel star Yolanda Adams, TV personalities like celebrity chef Carla Hall and “Good Morning America’’ co-anchor Michael Strahan. There’s also a healthy dose of program co-founder Steve Harvey who pops in and out with hilarious Harvey-isms, timeless wisdom and priceless words of encouragement for the Dreamers (and their parents). Source: Todd Anderson Oh, and we can’t forget the many surprises along the way that included a Dumbo-themed dinner and special advance screening of the recently released film at Disney Springs. “These students are in for a life-changing experience,” said Tracey D. Powell, Walt Disney World Resort vice president and Disney Dreamers Academy executive champion. “Our goal is to help them see the unlimited possibilities and to inspire them to achieve their full purpose- to become the heroes of their own stories.” For the past 11 years, this amazing program has evolved into an important part of Disney’s commitment to inspiring the next generation at a critical time in their development. The theme is “Be100″ which encourages teens to be positive–“all in”–and to carry what they learn back with them so they can better pursue their dreams while making a difference in the lives of others. “Having a dream is one of the most important things in life. My success is a direct result of dreaming big,” said Harvey. “It is my passion to help others dream bigger and to give them the tools to achieve those dreams. That is why I enjoy partnering with Disney on this program every year.” Since 2008, Walt Disney World Resort has provided all-expenses-paid trips to over 1,100 Dreamers (plus a parent or guardian) who stood out from thousands of applicants. And, after four days, watching this class pour themselves into every aspect of the program, it’s clear why they were selected. Source: Gregg Newton *Applications are now open for the 2020 event next March at Walt Disney World. We strongly encourage high school students ages 13-19 to apply here . Alllll they have to do is answer a series of essay questions about their personal stories, the influential people in their lives and their dreams for the future. The final 100 participants are selected by a panel of judges. For more information, visit DisneyDreamersAcademy.com or Facebook.com/DisneyDreamersAcademy , Twitter.com/DreamersAcademy and Instagram.com/disneydreamersacademy .
It’s undeniable that we are in tense times surrounding racism in the United States, so Taraji P. Henson ‘s new movie co-starring Sam Rockwell, titled The Best of Enemies may be exactly what we need. It tells the story of no nonense civil rights leader Ann Atwater and KKK President C.P. Ellis and the development of their friendship during the course of a charette to decide whether Durham schools should be desegregated in the 1950’s. Source: Derrick Salters/WENN.com / WENN HelloBeautiful had the opportunity to speak with Bill Riddick, who actually came to Durham from Raliegh to set up, organize and oversee the charette and encouraged Ann Atwater (played by Henson) and C.P. Ellis (played by Rockwell) to co-host it for full representation. Riddick discussed that a charette is designed to solve one specific problems, we joked during the interview that we need a charette right now in the United States. Henson was passionate about playing Atwater who was undeniably a strong character, “She was up against all these men, all these powerful men.” If you wonder how Henson was able to channel this for the character, she added, “I feel like that in this industry.” Rockwell stated he read the script and knew that this was an important film to make. As someone who has seen the film (and actually lived in Durham for four years), I highly recommend it. You’ll walk out feeling hopeful for a new future and re-energized to make change. Check out the interview above and go see The Best of Enemies in theaters Friday, April 5th, 2019. DON’T MISS: Taraji P. Henson Lets Us In On A Little Secret: My Fiancé Wears Magnums Taraji Interrupts Her Friend’s Wedding In This EXCLUSIVE ‘What Men Want’ Clip GET THE LOOK: Taraji P. Henson’s Romantic Hairstyle Is Perfect For Your Next Date [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”2933542″ overlay=”true”]
Jussie Smollett may not be prosecuted for almost definitely staging his own attack on the streets of Chicago a few months ago. But this doesn’t mean the polarizing Empire star is finished with the legal system. According to TMZ, Smollett will soon be sued by the Windy City itself and may effectively even go on trial for his role in the January 27 “assault.” As you must know by now, this word has been placed in quotation marks because Smollett is accused of staging an assault against… himself. He claimed several weeks ago that two white men screamed racial and homophobic epithets at him, while also saying he was living in “MAGA country,” prior to beating him up and tying a rope around his neck. The star even alleges that doused him with bleach. After being the subject of sympathy from basically everyone in America, Smollett quickly turned into the subject of scorn and derision. Because it started to become clear that he actually concoted this entire story. Smollett was even arrested and charged with multiple felonies related to falsifying a police report. The Chicago Police Department subsequently held a press conference in which it trashed the actor for wasting its time and resources. However, on March 26, Smollett was cleared of all charges . The city’s Mayor still thinks he’s very guilty, however, and even the lawyer who chose to set him free has said there’s mounting evidence that points to Smollett’s guilt… it just didn’t seem worthwhile to prosecute him. While observers remain stunned and confused over the development, Chicago is now trying to hold Smollett at least somewhat liable. As previously reported, the City of Chicago recently fired off a letter to Jussie’s people, demanding $130,000 for the cost of investigating the case. Smollett scoffed at such a request, but Chicago isn’t giving up. Per TMZ, the city had to wait seven days before filing a civil lawsuit against the actor — and now that the week is up, it has every intention of moving forward with this action. Says a spokesperson for the City of Chicago: “Mr. Smollett has refused to reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of police overtime spent investigating his false police report on January 29, 2019. “The Law Department is now drafting a civil complaint that will be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Once it is filed, the Law Department will send a courtesy copy of the complaint to Mr. Smollett’s L.A. based legal team.” Apparently Chicago can ask for up to $390,000 from Smollett, three times what the investigation cost. In order to win and receive this payout, the City must prove that it’s more likely than not that Jussie faked the “attack.” This, in effect, will place Jussie on trial before an administrative law judge. And the burden of proof will NOT be to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Are things about to get ugly in very public fashion again? It sounds that way. Smollett has “no plans on paying investigative costs being outrageously demanded,” an insider tells Us Weekly. Instead, the source suggests that “the Chicago Police Department should be investigating the way this matter was mishandled from the beginning.” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, though, is pissed. We doubt he’s going to let this issue go. In an earlier statement, he referred to Smollett getting cleared as a ” whitewash of justice ,” wondering what kind of terrible human being exploits actual hate crimes in the manner Smollett allegedly did here. “When Smollett does pay the city back on just what the taxpayers have fronted, in that memo section [of the check], he can write, ‘I’m sorry and I’m accountable for what I’ve done,'” Emanuel said in a press conference late last month, concluding as follows: It’s just wrong. … Does he have no decency? View Slideshow: Jussie Smollett: This is How He Staged His Alleged Assault
Lyin King pic.twitter.com/8fe5ujMIi9 — John Hutcheson (@Gardenerd5) February 21, 2019 Hilarious Memes Of The Week Back at it again with another hilarious batch of memes for your weekend funny. Jordyn facetiming Tristan after they got caught pic.twitter.com/C8mRI3lbGw — 24/7 Hip Hop News (@BenjaminEnfield) February 21, 2019 Peep all the best (and funniest) memes of the week on the flip.
Source: Gregg DeGuire / Getty Queen Latifah To Invest In $14 Million Affordable Housing Development In Newark According to NJ.com , Queen Latifah is investing in her hometown in a major way. The Newark native just recently announced that her company, BlueSugar Corporation, is working to develop affordable housing in Brick City. BlueSugar Corporation is reportedly partnering with GonSosa Development on the $14 million initiative, which will also include a 20 three-family townhomes and another mixed-used building with an additional 16 units of affordable housing, a fitness center, and commercial space for nonprofit community organizations. Rents for the market rate units will start around $1,800 a month and are expected to open by December 2020. The affordable housing building is expected to be finished in December 2021; units there will be priced according to a person’s income.
Q ueen Latifah has broken barriers in both the music and entertainment industries and now she plans on doing the same in real estate. In an effort to level the playing field when it comes to housing equity in her hometown of Newark, the Star actress is creating an affordable housing complex in the city, NJ.com reported. Queen Latifah is coming home to Newark and building $14M worth of new housing https://t.co/GhP6SbZqLf pic.twitter.com/OxI5mwPVBp — NJ.com (@njdotcom) February 21, 2019 The project—which is reportedly going to cost $14 million—will be a community of multi-family townhouses, the news outlet writes. The homes—which will be located on Springfield Ave. and South 17th Street—will include 20 three-family townhomes and an additional mix-use building that will have 16 units. The mix-use building will feature a fitness center and commercial space that will be used by nonprofit organizations. 60 of the units will be market rate starting with a price of $1,800 and 16 of the units will be affordable and based on an individual’s income. The project is being led by BlueSugar Corporation—where Latifah serves as co-president—and GonSosa Development. BlueSugar Corporation has been on a mission to revitalize struggling neighborhoods across the country and GonSosa Development has reconstructed and developed over 1,000 units. There is a need for affordable housing in Newark and those who are involved in the project are excited about making change. “They understand how difficult it is to make ends meet for many residents and want to be part of the solution. They remain dedicated to making life better in communities like Newark,” said Cristina Pinzon who serves as a spokeswoman for the developers. Like other cities across the country, Newark is experiencing an affordability crisis where many longtime residents are at risk of being displaced due to gentrification. News about Queen Latifah’s plans comes nearly a month after NFL star Marshawn Lynch shared that he was going to purchase real estate in his hometown of Oakland so that people who have lived in the community for decades wouldn’t be pushed out. SEE ALSO: Magic Johnson To Invest In The Revitalization Of Baltimore Marshawn Lynch Is Pushing Back Against Gentrification In Oakland [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3846537″ overlay=”true”]
Jenelle Evans has finally made an intelligent decision. Following an endless array of homophobic insults by David Eason, along with violent behavior that seemingly culminated in Eason assaulting Evans last October… the Teen Mom star at last separated from her awful husband. She has not yet confirmed this development, but we have many reasons to believe it's the case . We also now have new information regarding what prompted this break-up. According to The Ashley, Jenelle got into an intense debate/argument with MTV producers just days before she cut Eason loose. What was said during this phone call? You are moment away from finding out… 1. FINALLY! Even Jenelle’s harshest critics have been clamoring for her to dump David for months and months now, even before he seemingly assaulted her in October. 2. How Do We Know She Finally Did It? Single AF. Evans appeared to make it very clear a few days ago upon changing her profile. 3. I’m Also Single! Eason then followed suit, which is as close to confirmation as you can get these days of a break-up: both sides changing their statuses online. 4. Why Now? Why not back when Jenelle openly said Eason broke her collarbone, you mean? Well… the latest run of Teen Mom 2 episodes have focused on this incident, specifically Jenelle’s 911 call that accused Eason of attacking her. Sources say this rehashing has stirred up tension between the couple. 5. This is the 911 Call in Question Give it a listen. It could not be more clear what Evans is saying Eason did to her. 6. But We’re Gonna Talk About Another Call Now The Ashley writes that Jenelle has been growing more and more anxious as these episodes have aired. She reportedly had a lengthy call with producers mere days before splitting from Eason, specifically calling out Kristen Schylinski for trying to sabotage her marriage. View Slideshow
Source: Curtis B / Radio One (Friday, January 25th) The girls of the Ron Clark Academy (RCA) had an exciting, eye opening experience as they toured the set of the Fox television HIT show STAR, co-created by Lee Daniels. The 5th-7th graders that participated in the special field trip are part of the “Saving Our Daughter’s Cinderella” program, co-founded by actress and singer, Keke Palmer, who is also a guest star on STAR. Going on its second year of the STAR and Saving Our Daughters special set visits; this field trip was coordinated and hosted by Assistant to James E. Williams of Star Season 3, Taylor Williams. In addition to setting up a tour of the stages and sets, Q&A with some of the crew enlightened the girls of the team effort involved in the development of the show. Tasha Smith (Actress, Director) Mack Price (Production Assistant), Rachel Guilfoyle (Costumes Coordinator), Carrie Clever (Seamstress), Natalie Rhooms (Set Director), Zoey Wang (Art Coordinator )and Aamina Gant (Music Coordinator) spoke to and visited with the RCA Cinderellas about what it is like to work on a television series, their professions and the life choices they made that led them to STAR. Source: Curtis B / Radio One Source: Curtis B / Radio One “FOX Television & the STAR team’s openness to provide these opportunities are priceless. It’s takes a village to bring awareness of the possible careers in the arts and to encourage young girls to push through their challenges and pursue their dreams. Thank you again for sharing your gifts with us.” – Saving Our Daughters’ Co-Founder, Debbie Benjamin The girls had the pleasure of meeting everyone from wardrobe, production design, photography and set decoration. They were blessed and encouraged after talking in depth with Tasha Smith. To hear Tasha’s personal testimony of overcoming bullying, childhood adversities and drug abuse in her family; to evolve into an assertive, successful actress, director and producer left a lasting impression on the students. Watching the anticipation build as the girls were about to witness an actual rehearsal scene in the recording studio, their faces beamed with amazement, as actresses/singers Jude Demorest (Star) and Ryan Destiny (Alexandria) came out to encourage the girls, take photos and give hugs to each girl. Source: Curtis B / Radio One Source: Curtis B / Radio One Source: Curtis B / Radio One Source: Curtis B / Radio One What some of the RCA Cinderellas had to say on their STAR Visit; Ryann Gholston, 8th “My visit to the set of STAR was very informational. I am so grateful for the experience! When we arrived, we were given a tour of the set where we met a few workers who all had completely different but exciting jobs. These jobs included costume design, production assistant, and set design. It was really cool for me to see how much preparation goes behind filming just one scene. We even met Jude Demorest and Ryan Destiny, two of the stars of the show. We also met the director, the one and only Ms. Tasha Smith! I really appreciate how the Saving Our Cinderellas program continues to reach out to girls like me to expose us to new things we don’t get to do or see every day!” Sanaa Dais, 6th “It was an honor to have been chosen to view the set of Star. The experience was awesome and the I will never forget that memory. I met some terrific and talented individuals. How many people can say they’ve met Tasha Smith? Meeting the cast was great. Thank you for an awesome experience.” Joy Udoh, 6th “My Savings Our Cinderella’s experience has been nothing short of amazing. I loved getting to see the tv set and seeing what goes on behind the scenes. Being a young girl, it’s truly inspiring to watch other women take the lead in fields that you didn’t even know existed. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and I absolutely loved it.” Haley Crawley, 7th “I was invited to the set of STAR and had the opportunity of meeting Jude (Star), Ryan (Alexandra), Taylor, and Mac. I loved the whole thing. I got to learn about the set. I learned about the roles of an assistant director, a production assistant, and a set designer. We also learned what happened in the design and art studio. My favorite part was the fashion designers. I love fashion. Thank you for the amazing experience.” Zoey Little, 6th “I really enjoyed being on the set of Star. I know a lot of people do not get the experience that I got to have, let alone meet two of the main characters, Star and Alexandra. My favorite part overall was going to the costume department where I got to ask questions about how many costumes one character has and about the budget. I really enjoyed this experience as it changed my outlook on how much work goes on behind the scenes in the filming industry.”
